


Getting Her Hands Dirty

by NakhudaNyx



Series: Seasons Of The Commonwealth [2]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: AU, F/M, Friendship, Minutemen and Brotherhood compliant, No Spoilers, Not Beta Read, Pining, Pre-Rain, Pre-Relationship, Starlight Drive-in, settlement attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-10
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-10-02 04:39:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10209803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NakhudaNyx/pseuds/NakhudaNyx
Summary: Starlight Drive-In is attacked by Raiders, and Paladin Danse and his new knight Nyx O'Grady-Callahan head over to lend a hand. Nyx is my OC, and this is in the same universe as my master post Rain. Enjoy! Constructive criticism welcome!Not beta-ed.





	

Paladin Danse and Knight O’Grady-Callahan had spent the past five weeks traveling from settlement to settlement trying to unify the Commonwealth when a radio distress call crackled through Nyx’s Pip-Boy.

While Danse understood why it was important to unite the settlements, he had begun to dislike the arduous task of walking from settlement to settlement with no guarantee of success, and often when successful cooperation and integration could be achieved it came with a very specific and usually dangerous price tag. The settlements always needed proof that they could rely on the support network the allied settlements provided. Which found Danse and his new knight in fire fights on a regular basis. He came to expect trouble with each new settlement they visited. Everyone always needed something, after all.

And then that damned radio tower at the Castle had been built. So now, whenever a settlement had a problem, it was broadcasted across the entire Commonwealth. It was always calls for repairs, or crops to supplement an unsuccessful harvest, and sometimes it was a plea for entertainment of all things.

This call, was different.

Chhhck…” Anyone hear… Help!... Min… en… SOS… Raider band… At least 20… Oh god, help… Send help… turrets almost gone… Don’t break the line!... No, no, no!” the garbled plea was abruptly interrupted by minigun fire before silence fell, bringing a sense of dread to the Brotherhood team.

Knight O’Grady-Callahan looked to me for guidance. I gave a nod in reply. Starlight Drive-in was only a few miles away. It looked like we’d be killing some Raiders tonight.

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The fire fight was dwindling when Danse and Nyx rushed into the fray, ending the fight quickly with the extra fire support the two more skilled fighters provided. Judging by the bodies strewn around the road by the entrance to the settlement, the defense turrets did their jobs well until they were destroyed. A man in a ratty beige sport coat and holey black slacks limped over to the team once the all clear was called.

“Oh! Great, you hear our call.” The settler exclaimed, relief clearly shown in his sooty features.

“It’s ok now, tell us what happened.” Danse raised a hand in a soothing gesture. He spared his Knight a glance, noting the wide do-eyed expression with an internal groan.

“They came out of nowhere. I recognize a few of the guys from Corvega, but since you Brotherhood guys wiped that stronghold out, the survivors have been on the move looking for a new camp. I guess liked ours. The turrets you installed did a good job of mowing most of those scumbags down, but they had a minigun and a sniper who was actually worth his salt.” The ma wiped at his brow with a rag, the stress of the attack showing in his posture.

“Were there…” the Knight cleared her throat. “Were there any casualties?” Her voice sounded stronger, but her eyes still held a touch of fear in them.

Danse had wondered and worried about the outcome of the skirmish himself, though admittedly he was more concerned about the Knight’s reaction to the inevitably bad news than anything else.

He often wondered about the Knight’s origins. There was an overall softness about her that screamed Vault dweller, if the Pip-Boy that was in impossibly excellent condition wasn’t proof enough, but it was more than that. There were no signs of a life of any kind of labor, which Danse knew every Vault dweller did his or her share in maintaining a functioning vault. She didn’t have any callouses on her hands and, apart from the three long scratches of unknown origin running diagonally across the left side of her face that were still pink and healing, she appeared to be in excellent health and was well fed. Despite her overall softness, she was an excellent shot and had the mind of a skilled tactician. She also wondered about a myriad of mundane things the wastes offered, from wildlife to foodstuffs. The kept referring tatoes as “tomatoes” or Brahmin as “cows”. Some of the things she said were downright odd. Danse fared she was just too soft to be out in the wastes, but she stubbornly insisted that she patrol as a knight and help absolutely everyone she met as best she could. She was a walking contradiction.

“We got lucky. We only lost three.” The settler said. “Smitty, the town drunk, walked right up to the gate and gave the gang a two-fingered salute. Dumbass. Then there was Jonesy, one of our new guards. He got tagged when the sniper was taking out the turrets: and Mary-Jo, who looks like she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and got a few strays from the minigun as she was tending to the mutfruit. Thank the gods the children were in the school house. Their teacher is a former Gunner and she’s always packing.”

The Knight sighed audibly, her shoulders visibly relaxing. “Ok, tell us what needs to be done.”

“We need to patch up the walls, repair the turrets and water purifiers, re-plant the high-yield crops, and fix the damage to the houses and vendor stands. A tall order, I know, but any help at all would be greatly appreciated.” The man sighed, shaking his head at the amount of damage done.

“We’ll do what we can. Danse?” Nyx turned to her sponsor, a determined set to her jaw. “Can you handle fixing and possibly upgrading the turrets and purifiers? I’ll get started on the wall.”

“Uh, sure, but wouldn’t you rather have me working on the wall?”

“No. Defenses must be our first priority. Plus, I’m a fast spot welder and lighter than you. I can go on a hoist easier.” The trio walked into the settlement and inspected everything that needed repairing.

Turning to the settler that greeted them, Nyx started. “Gather every able-bodied settler in the center of town and we’ll start assigning teams to work on the repairs. What’s your name by the way? You’ll be our liaison.

“Oh! Of course, where are my manners. I’m Steve.” He stuck out his hand, which Danse and Nyx shook in turn.

“Pleasure. My name is Paladin Danse, and this is Knight O’Grady-Callahan.”

“You can call me Nyx.” She quickly interjected, not missing the look of annoyance that Danse cast her way. Her near insistence in being informal often made him feel like she didn’t take her rank seriously.

Steve nodded and walked to an ancient looking bell and started ringing it. In between the surprisingly dulcet tones, Danse heard the unmistakable hiss of a Power Armor suit opening. He turned his head, eyebrows nearly to his hairline to see the Knight exiting. Danse only ever saw her out of some sort of Power armor once, when she was doing her initial physical with Cade. When she burst through the Cambridge blockade she was in an old T-45 suit that was surely held together by pure will alone. The only person he’d ever met that spent more time in a rig was Ingram, and she didn’t have a choice in the matter.

Danse once asked Nyx why she was so attached to her suit, and she replied with a somewhat vague claim that the suit was the only place she felt safe before quickly changing the subject.

When Nyx emerged from her T-60, she tied her crisp blue Vault suit around her waist to reveal a slightly damp black tank top. She re-tied her voluminous sanguine hair up into a high pony tail as she approached the gathering settlers.

Danse cleared his throat to dispel his sudden dry mouth.

“Ok,” she began, “I think the best course of action is to split up into teams. I’ll take volunteers to fix the walls. Paladin Danse will take volunteers to fix the turrets and purifiers.” He nodded in assent. “Steve, could you take the volunteers to work on the big crops?”

“Yes, ma’am, I can.”

“Ok, thank you all. As each group finishes, they can start patching up the houses and other structures. Let’s use as much daylight as possible and get this done as a team!” Nyx finished to rallying cheers.

Danse was impressed, she was a natural leader. He could see her making Paladin in record time. He smiled at the thought. For all her reservations, she could really thrive in the Brotherhood in time.

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Danse’s group finished their main tasks first, the repairs and upgrades surprisingly easy to complete. He felt with the quick progress they made that it would be beneficial to send a few people to help the other groups while the bulk repairs. A gentleman on the elderly side and a rather shy teenage girl were sent to help with the crops, while he and a man maybe a few years older than himself, whom could only be described as a human mountain, headed over to assist with the wall.

Danse spotted Nyx on a rudimentary platform held aloft by a rickety pulley system, a welding mask in place and minor cuts and grime covering her arms from her gloves to the straps of her shirt. Her two supporters were a female ghoul and a tall but lanky young man. Both were showing signs of fatigue as they supported the ropes that kept Nyx in place.

As she finished her weld, the ghoul alerted Nyx of the approach of Danse and mister Mountain.

She lifted her mask to get a better look at her work before glancing down at the pair. “What’s up guys? Is something wrong?”

“No problems to report. We finished our tasks and thought you could use an extra pair of hands.” Danse replied.

“Oh, thank the stars! I’m not fit for this ma’am, I’m sorry. Can I swap with Leslie and hand you supplies or something instead?” the ghoul exclaimed, and Danse fought against the eyebrow raise that was threatening to occur at Mr. Mountain’s name.

“Sure thing, Shayna. If it’s cool with the bosses that is?” Leslie replied in a deep but bemused timber.

“I don’t see why not. What about you, Pat, do you want to tap out and help with the structural repairs?”

“Yes, please. I’m sorry too, I underestimated the job.” He replied, relief clearly shown.

That earned a light chuckle. “Okay, just put me on the ground and we’ll finish up with the guys. Oh, and are we still good to go later Shayna?”

“Yes, ma’am, I’ll do my best to fix you up. I can’t promise miracles though.” This piqued Danse’s attention. Had there been any major accidents he was sure he’d have heard about them by now, but the health of those under his command was always a top priority.

“That’s just fine, I’ve been considering a change anyway.” Nyx replied when she was firmly on the ground. “Ok, guys. We only have three big patches left to do. If we hustle we should be able to finish by nightfall.” By the time Nyx finished speaking, she was fully turned to Danse and Leslie, and the ‘damage’ was plain as day. There was a large patch of hair missing from the lower left side of her head. Danse and Leslie glanced at each other and did their best not to laugh, but it was in vain as a nearly simultaneous chuckle escaped the two men. Nyx’s deep scowl killed their jovial mood quickly. She sighed, “Let’s just finish up so I can get this mess fixed, ok?”

“Yes ma’am.” The two replied, heads slightly lowered and looking the part of two scolded children quite well.

With the switch up, the remaining wall repairs were made in nearly a third of the time, and by the time they finished the rest of the settlement was just about put back together. The damaged high-yield crops were harvested and re-planted, the homes totally fixed, most of the vendor stands were up and running, and a big meal was getting its final touches. The community bell rang out once again and the settlers gathered in a large pavilion in front of the ancient movie screen to accomidate meetings and meals. The wall trio took a wooden picnic table as Steve began to address his community.

“This morning, we were attacked. The raider bastards paid for the attack, but so did we. We lost three today. Three people who touched our lives and our community in some form or another. But we didn’t let our tragedy bring us down!” murmurs of assent and even a few cheers drifted from the crowd. “We came together and took care of business. I couldn’t be more proud of this community, and may today be a reminder that nothing can beat us. Now raise a glass to the three we lost. Here’s to Smitty, here’s to Jonesy, and here’s to Mary-Jo. May they rest in peace.

Here’s also to our new friends Paladin Danse of the Brotherhood of Steel and Knight Nyx O’Grady-Callahan of the Brotherhood and the Minutemen. We couldn’t have done it without you. You and your organizations will always be welcome here at Starlight, and if ever you need something we will be happy to help.” Claps and cheers rang out at the end of the speech, and the Brotherhood officers felt the settler’s gratitude as a physical sensation. “Now, ladies and gents, let’s eat!” Steve ended with a big smile.

The pair was greeted with thank-yous and handshakes from every member of the settlement, and even a few hugs from the children, which to Nyx’s amusement made Danse clam up with a mixture of shock and panic coloring his features. The meal consisted of salvaged mutfruit, steamed corn, and a stew made from tatoes and Brahmin meat. After a month of MREs and canned food that expired hundreds of years ago, it was a very welcome change.

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Nyx sat in an old vinyl chair in Shayna’s home, facing the open door to enjoy the light breeze. From this vantage, she could see Danse leaning against the shack enjoying a cigarette and observing his surroundings. Nyx was too busy earlier to really appreciate the fact that he was out of his power armor. It didn’t happen often, and each time felt like a precious gift, he truly was a magnificent man, and he filled out his flight suit perfectly. She could admit, to herself at least, that she was instantly attracted to him when they met at the old Cambridge Police station a couple of months ago.

“I’m sorry, Nyx. I can see only one way to fix your hair.” Shayna said melancholily.

“What? Can’t you save it?” Nyx’s nervous questions caught Danse’s attention. He stubbed his butt out on a slab of concrete before entering the shack.

“I’m afraid the best I can do is shave it…” Shayna began with regret.

“WHAT!? I need to go _BALD_!?!” Nyx began to panic, causing Danse and Shayna to recoil from her outburst.

“NO! No, no, no, no, no. you don’t need to go bald. I promise. I’ll just need to shave the _sides._ You’ll still have hair at the top of your head.” At Nyx’s skeptical groan, Shayna continued. “It’ll look great on you, you definitely have the cheekbones to pull it off. Plus, you keep it in a ponytail and your hair won’t be so heavy and you’ll keep cool easier. It’s totally easy to manage. Trust me.”

Nyx reluctantly agreed. “Oh, I guess. I can always grow it out if I don’t like it.”

Shayna worked quickly, sectioning out the hair at the crown of Nyx’s head, trimming where needed before lathering her up and taking a well maintained straight razor to the damaged area and continuing around to the other side to even it out, having Danse hold the ponytail of hair to be saved out of the way.

“There, was that so bad?”

“I’ll let you know once I see it for myself.” Nyx replied, still weary.

“I will admit, Knight, the ghoul did good. This style suits you quite well.” Danse added, and Nyx tried her damnedest to bide the color flooding her cheeks.

Shayna came back to Nyx’s side with a small hand mirror, and Nyx had to admit she liked the look as well. “Shayna, I will give you props. I don’t mind this look at all, you were right. Thank you.” She finished with a smile, which Shayna returned.

A knock interrupted the trio. “Excuse me, but we have cleaned up Smitty’s old shack for you two if you’d like to rest here tonight.”

“Oh, thank you Steve.” Danse gave a nod to the settler. “Is that good for you, knight?”

“That sounds wonderful, thank you.” Nyx gave Shayna a farewell hug before following the men out and to the opposite side of the settlement. The previous owner being the town drunk explained the relative isolation from the rest of the residences. The unobstructed view of the western sky, last visages of twilight rapidly fading to give way to a view of the Milky Way Nyx would’ve never seen if the world hadn’t ended, was a definite perk of the location.

After a short argument about the sleeping arrangements and a quick flip of the sole mattress in the ne room shack, Nyx had settled onto the bed while Danse made himself comfortable on the wooden shack floor.

The pair found sleep to be rather elusive after the eventful day they had, so Danse felt this to be a good opportunity to quell some of his curiosity about his knight. He decided on an easy, recent curiosity first.

“So, what was making you so upset about your hair earlier, if you don’t mind my asking?”

She sighed. It’s so stupid, really. It’s just, I got my hair done right before I went into the vault, and it’s all I had left of the life I used to know.”

And just like that, another curiosity presented itself. “What do you mean, before you went into the vault?” Danse had never heard of a vault accepting new residents. Vault dwellers were notoriously wary of the surface. “You aren’t Vault born?”

“Oh, right. You don’t know. Look, I’ve wanted to tell you, but I just didn’t know how to broach the subject. Vault 111s main function was to study the long-term effects and viability of cryogenic hibernation. I’ve been on Ice the past 210 years.” Nyx bit her lip, nervous of his reaction. She sat up.

He took a good long moment to process this new information. He felt a strange sense of betrayal at this huge secret being kept from him, though he reasoned that he probably wouldn’t have an easy time bringing the subject up either. It also explained quite a bit about her, from her mannerism, to her constant curiosity, to her utter lack of survival skills before joining the Brotherhood. “So, you mean to say you’re… Pre-War? Before the bombs fell?” by this time, he was perched on his knees.

“Danse, I _watched_ the bomb hit south Boston.”

Danse’s eyebrows nearly disappeared, his mouth agape. Nyx motioned for him to sit with her on the rickety bed, and after a moment of hesitation he took a seat at the foot, Nyx leaning on the headboard to face him. She took a calming breath, and then spilled her guts to him, telling her tale of woe and immense personal pain at the murder of her husband and subsequent kidnapping of her infant son, her emergence from her tomb, the juvenile Deathclaw attack that left her face scarred, her rescue of the surviving Minutemen, and her journey to Cambridge.

“I’m deeply sorry, knight. Vault-Tech’s depravity knows no bounds. I’m gonna hep you find your son. That’s a promise.” He said with a tender conviction, hand gong to rest on her shoulder in a sign of support.

“Thank you, Danse.” Nyx’s throat constricted at his declaration, making her voice a bit deeper. “And you can call me Nyx, you know. Maybe for special occasions or something.” She said with a half smirk and a chuckle, knowing he would resist. He was a stickler for rules and maintaining decorum.

He surprised her, though. “Ok… Nyx.” He said it slowly, as if trying to learn the shape and sound of the individual letters. She nearly flushed with pleasure, the sound of her name in his voice an unexpected thrill. She knew her smile probably looked more deranged than happy, but she couldn’t help herself.

This, she knew, was the start of a great friendship, and the weight of her secret no longer on her shoulders made her feel the most relaxed she’s been in over two centuries. 


End file.
